Jacob Tobia Will Play Nonbinary Shapeshifter on Netflix's 'She-Ra'

Acclaimed gender nonconforming writer, advocate, and performer Jacob Tobia is coming to Etheria! They'll be joining Netflix's She-Ra and The Princesses Of Power in the role of shape-shifting, nonbinary mercenary Double Trouble.

We got our first peek at Double Trouble in a preview for the show's upcoming season, which debuted at New York Comic Con earlier this month. The show follows Adora, a teen who magically transforms into the protector of her planet, She-Ra, and her friends Bow and Glimmer as they fight to defeat Catra, Hordak, and the evil Horde who are trying to take over the planet.

Double Trouble is being introduced as a new ally for Catra and the Horde. The character as described as having the Mystique-like ability to transfigure themselves into anyone around them. Honestly, jealous.

Now She-Ra has announced Double Trouble will also be voiced by a nonbinary person. Tobia, an 2016 Out 100 honoree, told Deadline the role is a dream come true.

"Fantasy has always been so vital to me because as a nonbinary person," they told the entertainment website in a press release. "It's a way of escaping the confines of the world we live in. It's [a] way of building other realities and imagining the world as it could be, not as it is."

Having written about their own journey toward embracing their identity in the 2019 memoirSissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story, Tobia further recognized how important the milestone is for LGBTQ+ viewers.

"Having nonbinary representation in animated shows for young folks is just so vital because young people today are already understanding that gender is diverse and a broad spectrum from a super early age," they said. "It's about time that the shows that we're making for young people reflect the world as they understand it."

In an Instagram post, Tobia also joked that playing a nonbinary shapeshifter will be a breeze: "Functionally, I'm playing myself."

Tobia's character follows in the footsteps of other nonbinary characters in kids shows, including Stevonnie (AJ Michalka) on Cartoon Network's Steven Universe and Milo (Tyler Ford) on Netflix's Danger and Eggs.

By joining the expanding representation of gender diverse people in animation, Tobia and She-Ra are giving LGBTQ+ young people across the country a chance to see that who they are can be welcomed and embraced. It also gives children who haven't had possibility models a new potential pathway for who they can be in life.

The GLAAD Award-nominated show debuts its fourth season on Netflix November 5.

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